After
intercepting the boat, an ICG team boarded the vessel and thoroughly
investigated it to check the involvement of any anti-national activity. Initial investigation revealed that the
owner of the boat was an Iranian sponsor who had contracted these Indian
fishermen from Tamil Nadu, and issued them Iranian Visas for fishing off the
Iran coast.
The crew
alleged that the sponsor ill-treated and deprived them of basic living
conditions, besides confiscating their passports. The crew said that they had decided to escape from Iran to India using
the same boat.
The
detained vessel was safely brought to Kochi for further investigation on May
06, 2024.